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Paying for Stuff with Your Face

Posted March 23, 2019 12:00 AM by M-ReeD

As technology attempts to make life easier, plot holes can sometimes develop. Take for instance facial recognition technology. Currently an imperfect technology, yet that doesn’t stop governments all over the world from using it to track its citizens. Despite claims that the technology is biased and inaccurate, it is still being used with growing frequency. Especially in China.

For instance, a subway station in China is trialing a system where riders would pay their fares using facial recognition technology.

According to reports, the trial is currently underway at Futian subway station in the Chinese city of Shenzhen where riders entering the station can scan their faces using the screen where they would typically scan their phones or subway cards. Once confirmed, the subway fare is deducted from a previously linked bank account established before entering the station and following registration of a rider’s face data.

Some obvious benefits of such a system include the elimination of problems like forgotten subway cards and low balances. Yet, the facial recognition technology also means that the rider's journey will be closely tracked. However, people living in China are familiar with hefty surveillance as they move throughout the country. Sophisticated surveillance systems can be found in just about every corner of the country, capturing details about residents including face, age, gender and time spent in the region.

China, well known for its technological prowess, already uses facial recognition for everything from detecting and punishing jaywalkers to using AI to detect unhygienic behaviors in restaurant kitchens. Paying with facial recognition is also not an entirely new concept. Yum China, the operator of such brands as KFC in China was the first company to accept mobile payments using facial recognition technology.

As the days where we begin paying for everything using our faces draw closer, let’s hope that the technology is perfected, eliminating its inherent biases and, of course, addressing other details that hinder the accuracy of facial recognition technology such as the matter of lookalikes, the progression of time…and, potentially, bad hair days. Some mornings, I look relatively normal going out the door, other mornings, under the right lighting and going on little sleep, I might be mistaken for the guy on the cover of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung album…a fact that might present issues when the technology is used exclusively in place of other forms of ID.

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#1

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 12:55 AM

What happens when somebody steals your face?

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#16
In reply to #1

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 8:39 AM

I Know some women that this will never work early in the morning, if they do not have their makeup on. Starbucks would go broke... Example from G-search:

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#17
In reply to #16

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 8:59 AM

You have been hoaxed Sir. That is mum and daughter and they are not related in any way. WE have all been deceived. Like lambs to the slaughter, we awake each morning and ask ourselves, "Heck, who the H are you?" We take coffee and ten minutes then realise many years ago we made an oath. We accept that and live with the consequences each day.

How will an Ai gain all that experience and how it will be programmed to know? It is random, chance, coincidence, luck, or another programme from Al Gorithim? Hmm!

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#2

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 8:14 AM

When will we stop trading security for convenience?

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#3

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 12:16 PM

Imagine, having to use warpaint for the sake of privacy!

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#4

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 7:29 PM

"Plot holes can sometimes develop."

This "plot holes" thing is new to me.

How does it affect FR and where do they form?

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#5
In reply to #4

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 8:04 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole

(I never heard of it either.)

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#6

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/23/2019 8:35 PM

Some guy here is trying to purchase a truckload of banana's....

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#18
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face. Black Bag Cult

03/25/2019 10:30 AM

Black Bag Cult

Hmmm ! I think I will make a hat out of this picture and a way to see out the holes between the teeth. I'll bet some jurisdiction will arrest me for wearing it. Remember the "Black Bag" cult some decades back who wore sandals and an otherwise complete body bag ? Some college student attended school in the disguise.

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#7

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 8:00 AM

"... from detecting and punishing jaywalkers to using AI to detect unhygienic behaviors in restaurant kitchens." This is similar to that stop-light/trafic cameras discussion. The big thing that everybody seems to miss, is the "due process" requirement of the law. Violations/tickets/fines/verdicts/etc should not be issued out like club dues bills.

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#8
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 2:46 PM

I'm not sure you (any of us) understand the AI offense due process/punishment, if it even exists yet.

However, here is no similarity between j Walking/kitchen offenses and red light/traffic camera prosecution procedures that I am familiar with.

You are offered, and are entitled to, due process as if a human traffic officer wrote the citation. You can fight it in court, but the photographic and electronic evidence against you will doom you to paying for the court cost as well as the fine.

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#10
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 3:39 PM

I know what you're saying. But, take my case for instance. (It's rather long. You might not even bother with it) The issue is not always whether it happened or not (or extenuating circumstances), but sometimes its about illegal laws, and other things.

Back in 1982 (or3), I borrowed a freind's car. He drove it every day commuting to & from work. While driving, I noticed a state patrol going the other way (on a dived highway). Then, I noticed in the rear-view, he made a u-turn,came up behind me, turned on his lights, and gave me a ticket for an expired inspection sticker. I said it's not my responsibility, give it to the owner. I had all the paperwork; I was legal. The owner never got a ticket for it; it's his responsibility. I had no reason to check it. I had his address for the cop to send him the ticket. But, he insisted on giving me the ticket. If he was interested in public safety, he could have impounded the car and made me walk home. But no, he was more interested in giving me ticket. And the "system" agreed. To this day, it's still on the books. Colorado and Illinois refuse to give me a driver's license until I take care of this crap.

And, I insist it's not my responsibility. As of today (posting this post), I still don't have a driver's license. 35 years later, and they still refuse to see it my way. Just think what will happen when dealing with robots. There's no telling what problems will be refused to be dealt with. And, no recourse for it.

Pay disputes? Sorry, you owe and there's no arguing.

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#11
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 6:32 PM

You're saying that a cop, driving the opposite way on a freeway actually saw an expired inspection sticker? Wow.

You have been without a driver's license for 35 years because you refused to pay a fine????? Did your friend charge you for the use of his car?

I agree, the ticket should have gone to the owner of the vehicle, and had you gone to court, you'd have probably gotten off.

Still, no connection to cameras. They don't have bad days and aren't pricks. They also give you the option of court.

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#12
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 7:49 PM

"You're saying that a cop, driving the opposite way on a freeway actually saw an expired inspection sticker?" Well, this was in South Carolina where they still fly the Confederate flag. While I was in the Navy (Yankee), I never had a problem except when I had to leave my motorcycle at a bar overnight one time. When I went back for it, it was burnt to a crisp.

The guy I borrowed the car from was in the Navy, and he was probably "not having any problems" either. When I borrowed the car, I was recently discharged from the Navy, and was probably now "open to problems".

By the way, there was a college down there who had gamecock chickens for their mascot. They also had a motto that said,"Bet you can't lick our cocks.". There's no telling what goes on behind the scenes there.

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#19
In reply to #12

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 11:22 AM

You are guilty under the law... you are responsible because you were breaking the law by driving an unregistered car, the owner wasn't...maybe you were driving the car without permission, or maybe the car was stolen but not reported, who knows, certainly not the officer....If you were driving the car with permission and the owner had lead you to believe the car was legally registered, then you can sue for damages in civil court to recover any expenses and /or damages....

Charleston is a navy town, it's charming in every way, and the people are very friendly....the surrounding beaches are superb...I moved there from NY and lived there for several years...as a navy town there are people from all over the US there, and as a port town people from all over the world.... The people are very proud of their southern heritage and civil war history is a topic of great interest and tourism....To suggest that you were targeted because you were from someplace else is absurd.....

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#20
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 3:55 PM

The registration WAS valid. It was only the inspection sticker expired. I don't believe the trooper could have seen it from across a divided highway. He must have been looking out for the car. Whether it was reported stolen or not, he never mentioned it. Why wouldn't he? Without permission? Then how did I get the registration and insurance papers? Did I mug him? Then why did the trooper let me go?

To suggest that targeting because of something else, besides general principle, doesn't happen is absurd.....

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#21
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 6:50 PM

By The way, This "friend" who owned the car, was not a real stand-up guy. Before the car incident, me and him was at his girlfriend's house one time, and they got into an argument. He wound up punching her in the stomach, and I wound up breaking up the fight. Then, I wound up sleeping with her that night. We still remained friends, and later I borrowed his car. But, who knows, you never really know what goes on behind the scenes.

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#13
In reply to #10

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 1:31 AM

It sounds like a hard lesson. Here in Australia, if we are using a vehicle, regardless of ownership, we cop a fine for using it. I agree the owner should cop the fine, but here it is the onus on the person driving.

A hard lesson, but make sure if you are using someones car or motor bike or whatever, YOU are the user, you cop the fine (or bluie as we call it here)

Rod.

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#14
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 7:45 AM

I'll accept the fine, if was due to my driving. but, this had nothing to with it. And they admitted it had nothing to do with public safety, by letting me drive away in that "unsafe" car. I can't believe that the general public would accept it either. Give credit where due, blame where due, and fines where due. Don't fine Peter to punish Paul. And don't be lenient to Peter when that puts the public at risk. It seems that the more important lessons are still not being learned. Surely, I can't be alone in this.

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#15
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Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/25/2019 8:09 AM

"Colorado and Illinois refuse to give me a driver's license until I take care of this crap".

How come blackmail is legal for self imposed authoritative twats? Yet, illegal for Jo Public.

I am confused. This is planet earth, which sustains 'intelligent life' or has my portal gone on the fritz again?

Dr Spock: There is life there, but not as you know it.

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#9

Re: Paying for Stuff with Your Face

03/24/2019 3:03 PM

What bothers me is that fingerprints are a better security ID than a face. Your face changes over time or day to day (for various values of 'bad hair day'). Also your fingerprints are not on view unless you put them there deliberately, whereas your face is out there for the AI's to work on whether you are paying with face or not.

There is also a whole field of endeavor supposedly to read and judge by people's faces what is going on in their minds, what "character" etc etc. Nasty gear, in my books that is over the line, but you know they will do whatever they imagine possible with all the face data. Compare to fingerprints, which are gonna look the same on every occasion, a simple and secure dataset, instead, the gazillion "your face" days are filling up hard drives.......

And not even to mention the video editing that can be done with that. "Evidence?"

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